Foundations of an integrated decision support framework for maritime aids to navigation

Abstract Aids to Navigation (AtoNs) are essential elements of maritime safety infrastructure, yet their planning and spatial deployment still lack a harmonized, evidence-based, and operationally applicable methodological framework. This paper presents a structured analysis of scientific literature, International Organization for Marine Aids to Navigation (IALA) guidelines, and national legal frameworks from sixteen maritime countries in order to examine how AtoN planning is currently approached and to identify key methodological limitations. The findings show that existing approaches remain fragmented: scientific studies provide partial analytical tools, IALA documentation offers a strong normative basis but limited site-specific planning procedures, and national legal frameworks define responsibilities without establishing transparent and reproducible methods for AtoN placement. Building on these findings, the paper develops an integrated analytical foundation structured around spatial, operational, and technological domains, and demonstrates its indicative application through a case study of the 2024 grounding of the passenger catamaran Princ Zadra near Bračići Reef in the Adriatic Sea. The case study illustrates how hazard marking status, proximity to effective AtoNs, and coastal complexity can be combined to support structured and risk-informed decision-making. Although the proposed framework remains conceptual and requires further quantitative development and validation, it provides a consistent basis for future decision-support tools and more transparent AtoN planning across complex maritime environments.